Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 241 Reality and Illusion (Part 2)

"Over the years, as the emperor's son-in-law, you have held the highest position among the officials, lived in a magnificent hall, and enjoyed all the glory and wealth in the world. Have you gained any insights from this?"

The Taoist stroked his beard, looking at Lü Shang, a hint of something amiss in his eyes.

Lü Shang spoke slowly, saying, "This disciple is dull-witted. Although I have experienced the ways of the world for thirteen years, my understanding is still limited. I know what it is, but not why it is so."

"Well, it's good that you've gained some insight."

The Taoist priest chuckled softly, "If you can gain some understanding, then you're not bad, not bad at all!"

As he spoke, the Taoist raised his hand, and a thick fog suddenly rose around him, and a white jade whisk fell into his hand.

Immediately, the Taoist waved his whisk, and his appearance changed. He wore a lotus crown and a purple gauze robe, and his spirit was vigorous, unlike any ordinary person.

“Teacher,” Lu Shang thought as he saw the Taoist reveal his true form.

The Taoist priest looked exactly the same as when he was spreading the scriptures in Zhongnan Mountain.

At the same moment, heaven and earth seemed to freeze, the wind subsided and the clouds ceased, all was silent, and the entire Liang State Duke's mansion fell into a sudden silence.

"Thirteen years,"

The Taoist priest said to Lü Shang in a low voice, "It is truly remarkable that you have remained steadfast in your pursuit of the Tao for thirteen years!"

Lü Shang stood with his head bowed and said, "Teacher, I am unworthy of your praise."

"Fool,"

Seeing that Lü Shang remained respectful, the Taoist nodded in satisfaction and said, "You said that after you obtained the Xuandu True Method, you have been unable to grasp its essence, possessing the Primordial True Transmission but not its true meaning."

"Come, I am here now, and I will explain its profound meaning to you. How much you gain from it this time depends entirely on yourself."

As he spoke, the Taoist priest sat down on the ground, his body radiating a clear, shimmering light.

When Lü Shang saw the Taoist sit down on the spot, he quickly straightened his robes, knelt down beside him, and listened attentively as the Taoist explained the true Dharma.

Although he had already comprehended the "Taiyi Golden Instructions" as the foundation for attaining enlightenment.

However, the Taiyi Golden Instructions, in its essence, are derived from the Fuli Ancestor's Golden Flower Secrets.

It was Lü Shang who comprehended the path to physical sainthood from the "Secret Formula of the Ancestor of Fuli in Jinhua," which led to the creation of the "Golden Edict of Taiyi."

However, how can Lü Shang's understanding of the "Taiyi Golden Instructions" compare to the complete "Fuli Patriarch's Golden Flower Secrets"?

"Since there is no Six-Eared Man here, I will reveal the key to you,"

The Taoist priest, surrounded by a halo of light, lightly touched the ground with his whisk and proclaimed in a clear voice: "Today I will expound the twelve chapters of the 'Golden Flower Secrets of the Floating Dawn Ancestor,' all of which are fundamental to life and the essential truths to sainthood. Listen attentively."

"Heaven and earth have roots, which are called yin and yang; the human body has an origin, which is called nature and destiny."

The Taoist first explained to Lü Shang what the source of life and nature is, and then talked about the mysterious gate.

Seeing that Lü Shang seemed to have grasped the concept, the Taoist smiled and nodded, then explained to him the mechanism of movement and stillness, the debate between emptiness and fullness, and the cultivation of self and foundation.

Finally, it discusses how to harmonize the elements, extract lead and add mercury, nurture the fire, and even how to shed the acquired mortal body and replace it with the innate sacred bones.

As the Taoist priest became more animated, the surrounding light shone even brighter, as if he were performing a ritual for Lü Shang.

"Is this the true secret of the Founder of Fuli, Jinhua?"

As Lü Shang listened to the Taoist preach, his heart merged with the Tao, and he gradually entered a state of forgetting himself and the world.

For someone who doesn't know any other way, to be able to hear this Taoist preach is an incredible stroke of luck, a chance that would be hard to come by even in a thousand kalpas.

The twelve chapters of the Golden Flower Secrets are all gems, leading to the ultimate path to longevity and containing endless wonders.

After an unknown amount of time, Lü Shang was immersed in the Daoist's teachings, and his Daoist mind became exceptionally clear and lucid.

After finishing the twelve chapters on the Golden Flower, Lü Shang still felt there was more to learn. Just as Lü Shang was still pondering the secrets of the twelve chapters on the Golden Flower, he suddenly felt someone push him hard from behind.

This push made Lü Shang feel as if he were falling into an abyss, constantly sinking, and he couldn't help but shiver.

In a daze, when Lü Shang opened his eyes again, he was already in the military tent of Diezhou. "How was it? Did you gain anything?"

At this moment, the Taoist priest had returned to his disheveled appearance. He stood in front of the bed, smiling as he looked at Lü Shang.

Thirteen years have passed in a dream, a mix of truth and falsehood, reality and illusion. When falsehood is taken for truth, even truth becomes falsehood; when nothingness is taken for existence, even existence becomes nothingness.

After rising, Lü Shang bowed deeply to the Taoist priest and said, "I have benefited immensely, but what I have gained is difficult to express in words."

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest said with satisfaction, "It seems you have truly gained something."

The Tao is inherently ineffable!
As everyone knows, the Great Dao is formless, yet it gives birth to heaven and earth; the Great Dao is without emotion, yet it governs the sun and moon; the Great Dao is nameless, yet it nurtures all things.

But what they didn't know was that this was the Dao of the Dao Ancestor, not the Dao of ordinary cultivators.

The true path that can be comprehended cannot be fully expressed in words or conveyed in writing; one cannot express it in words or write it down.

The Tao is inherently inactive; if one tries to explain it, one will surely lose its true nature.

Lu Shang cupped his hands and said, "Teacher's kindness is immeasurable and I can never repay it. Please leave me your honorific title so that I may know my lineage."

Upon hearing this, the Taoist pondered for a moment and did not refuse as he had done before.

"Since you've asked my name, I may tell you. I am Zhang Ziyang, the Purple Cloud Immortal of the Great Luo Heaven."

"Master,"

Upon learning the Taoist's name, Lü Shang immediately changed his address and prepared to kowtow to Zhang Ziyang.

He knew who Zhang Ziyang was; Zhang Ziyang was the founder of the Neidan (internal alchemy) school.

Although the "Secret Formula of the Golden Flower of the Ancestor of Fuli" was passed down from the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, it was personally written by the ancient True Man Guangchengzi, annotated by the external alchemy immortal Ge Xuan, and prefaced by the internal alchemy True Man Ziyang Zhang Boduan.

"Slow down, slow down,"

Seeing that Lü Shang was about to become his disciple, Zhang Ziyang said, "You have already mastered all twelve chapters of my Golden Flower Secret Teachings, so it is only right that you call me master."

"However, the karma you carry is too heavy, and you will definitely cause harm in the future,"

Zhang Ziyang hesitated for a moment, then said, "How about this, I can accept you as my disciple, but you are not allowed to tell anyone else that you are my disciple."

"From now on, no matter how much trouble you cause or violence, you can never claim to be my disciple."

Lü Shang said solemnly, "Master's kindness in transmitting the Dharma is higher than the heavens and thicker than the earth. How could I, your disciple, dare to burden my master?"

"Um,"

Seeing Lü Shang's solemn expression and the increased light in his eyes, Zhang Ziyang raised his hand and patted the gourd at his waist.

The gourd immediately hummed and trembled, its mouth overflowing with rosy light. A beam of clear light floated out from the gourd's mouth and landed in front of Zhang Ziyang.

"Come,"

Zhang Ziyang waved his whisk, and the clear light dissipated, revealing a long halberd silently suspended in mid-air. The halberd's body was forged from black iron, its entire surface as dark as ink, its tip as white as snow, and its serrations like the setting sun.

The Taoist gently set down the halberd and said, "This halberd is called the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd."

clang! !

The moment the halberd touched the ground, a muffled boom was heard inside the military tent, and the entire ground trembled.

"Weighing a full treasury, 5,048 jin,"

Zhang Ziyang stroked his beard and said, "It is the divine weapon wielded by Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. It is an ancient artifact from the time of human immortals and was eventually brought to Chu. The halberd was forged from a meteorite from outer space for nine days and nine nights. Later, lightning struck from the earth, and a divine dragon fell from the sky, thus completing its formation."

"Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, witnessed the Heavenly Queen's power and wielded it to dominate the world, hence the name 'Heavenly Dragon Breaks the City.'"

Having said that, the Taoist pointed to the Heavenly Dragon Halberd and said, "Try it and see if it suits your hand. If it does, I'll give it to you as a weapon to protect yourself."

"Your Three-Light Purple Bamboo Whip is not bad, but it is ultimately inferior to the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd,"

(End of this chapter)